Stricken
by primslullabies
Summary: Katniss and Peeta are enjoying celebrating her daughter's birthday with the family, when an unpleasant announcement over the news spoils everybody's mood. (contains two explicit swear words) {ONESHOT}


**Thanks for reading my oneshot!**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

{Katniss's P.O.V.}

"Thanks for dinner, Daddy!" Levia, being the sweet seven-year-old that she is thanked her father, and kissed him lightly upon the cheek. She had a huge smile on her face, and her cheeks were as rosy pink as ever. Two long braids swayed against her back as she plopped down onto her chair at the table. She had bright, crystal blue eyes, just like Peeta's eyes. Even though it took him fifteen years for me to agree to have kids, I'm grateful every day for agreeing with him because I have the two most beautiful children in the world: Levia, my older child, is our daughter who lights up the room when she walks in. Asher, my little baby boy (not a baby anymore, he's nearly five years old now!) is such a charmer, and always is adored by people. It seems like just yesterday I was holding newborn Levy in my arms, and now here we are, in the family bakery celebrating her seventh birthday.

"Baby, why don't you give Levy her birthday present?" I urged Asher. Placing my hand on his small back, I helped him climb up on the chair across from his older sister to hand her his present to her.

"Happy Birthday, Lebby!" He squealed happily. He calls her 'Lebbi' because when he was a baby, he couldn't pronounce the sound the letter V makes and whenever he said her name, it came out 'Lebby', instead of 'Levy.'

"You're the best sister ever!" He hugged her, and she smiled as she kissed the top of his blond head. "I love you!"

"I'm your only sister, Asher!" Levy joked, as she pulled away. "But I love you too…more than words can say."

Peeta, who was sitting right next to me, was looking lovingly at his two children, with a huge grin on his face. "Alright, Levy, why don't you open your brother's present now?"

Levia nodded, and carefully tore the beautifully wrapped blue wrapping paper off of the gift. "Oh My Gosh!" She squealed happily, holding what looked like a piece of fabric up to her chest. "It's the dress that I've always wanted!" She put the blue dress on the table, and pulled her little brother onto her lap for another tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She nearly screamed.

Peeta and I chuckled at the sight, loving their sibling love. "Alright, alright." I pull Asher off of Levy, and hold him on my lap. "Let's open the rest of the presents."

Peeta handed Levy his gift. "It's not as special as your mother's or your brother's gifts, but I thought you would like it." He kissed Levy's forehead, "Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl." He murmured into her ear.

Levy pulled a shiny silver hair clip out of the gift bag. It was shaped like a butterfly, and it had pretty blue sapphires dotted on the wings. "Daddy, I love it!" She cried, excitement filling up her blue eyes.

"I'm glad." Peeta responded, smiling back at his beloved daughter.

"Ok!" I began, standing up, "Last but not least, _my_ present!" I clapped my hands together, then grabbed the small box which my gift was in. "Here you go, Birthday Girl." I smirked a bit as I handed her my gift.

Levy began to slowly take off the wrapping paper, and gasped when she opened up the box: It was the pin I had worn in the 74th Hunger Games and the Quarter Quell many years ago. Even though the pin brought back awful and painful memories from the arena, it was very special to me, and I thought it was important for my daughter to learn about the courage and love the pin had helped me gain.

The pin had a golden chain woven through it so that she could wear it as a necklace.

"Mommy, help me put it on?" Levy asked kindly, looking up at me.

I nodded, and motioned for her to turn around so that I could clip the necklace behind her neck. "It looks beautiful you." I commented when she turned around.

"Go put on the dress as well!" Peeta chimed in when he saw the necklace around Levy's neck.

"What about shoes?" Levy asked, pondering what she shall wear on her feet to complete the outfit. "I have to wear shoes in an outfit."

"You should wear the silver flats we just bought a couple of weeks ago." I reminded her.

Levia nodded and then ran off to her room with her new dress in her hands. She returned a few moments later, wearing the beautiful silk dress with the necklace and flats.

"Wow." I smiled at my beautiful daughter.

She blushed a little. Levy wasn't really one for a lot of attention being put on her.

"You look gorgeous!" Peeta said, his eyes watering up. I hoped he wouldn't cry; crying is contagious for our kids. Once somebody cries, the kids cry with them.

"I bet I would look even prettier if Mommy did my favorite hairstyle on me." Levy smirked at her father who stuck his tongue out at her. She stuck her tongue out right back at him, and I couldn't help but laugh as I tried to scold them.

"Mommy, can you braid my hair like you used to braid Aunt Prim's hair?" Levy asked sweetly.

I know she is a perfectly innocent kid, but her mentioning my dead sister pulled at my heartstrings and made me upset. I tried not to let it show, but I've never been good at hiding my emotions. Peeta is already by my side with his arm wrapped around my waist, and Levy it standing in front of me with her small hand on my cheek when the first tear falls.

"Mommy! Please don't cry!" Levy cried, her eyes filling up with tears. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!"

My heart clenched at my daughter's words, and my throat tightened up. "No, no! You didn't hurt my feelings, Sweetheart; it's just that I loved my sister very much, just like how you love Asher. And it makes me very sad that I can't see her every day." I remove myself from Peeta's grasp and bend down to pick up my sobbing daughter.

"You are very lucky, Levy, and it's your special day. Please don't cry." I rub my hand over her head as I whisper soothing words into her ear. Asher is hugging Peeta's waist while he looks up at his sister with deep concern in his eyes.

"You don't have to braid my hair, Mama, but can we please go over to Grandpa Mitchy's house?" Levy still had her arms wrapped firmly around my neck, but she had stopped crying.

"Are you sure you don't want me to braid your hair, Darling?" I asked.

"It's ok, Mama, I know Aunt Prim wore her hair like this too, and I 'm happy with this."

I almost let another tear slip past, but Levia's heartwarming smile caught me off guard, and I smiled back warmly.

"Let's go to Grandpa Mitchy's then!"

Peeta knocked on Haymitch's door several times with no no answer as the outcome. We tried shouting his name, but we heard nothing coming from the house. We knew he was here, he never left his house except to buy more alchohol and such, but he had just gone out last night…

"Maybe he's just passed out somewhere in the back of the house again." Peeta said, rubbing the back of his neck, and I recalled the time we had nearly screamed our voices hoarse when he wouldn't answer the door, and when we finally kicked the door down, and looked for him in the house, we found him passed out in his laundry room.

"He might be…" I said quietly, trying to listen to the faint voices coming from inside Haymith's house. "I think he might have passed out watching TV because I hear other voices, and he never has people over besides Hazel to do the cleaning, but I don't hear any female voices." I stated, turning back to my husband.

"But we have to see Grandpa Mitchy! It's my birthday!" Levy cried frantically. She tried to bang her fists on the wooden door, but I held her back with my free hand, my occupied arm holding Ahser on my hip.

"I know, I know." I said, trying to calm my daughter down. "Peeta…" I glance over at him, and he nods his head.

"Alright, everybody stand back." He orders. I back up with the kids, and then Peeta kicks the large door down. It lands inside the dark house with a loud _thump._

_"What the Hell!"_ We heard Haymitch yell from inside. He appears in the doorframe, standing on his now broken door. "You know winter is coming up soon, and I expect one of you to fix this!" He growls, and I laugh.

"Haymitch, what were you doing? We were screaming for you!" I pushed Levy forward gently. "The Birthday Girl wanted to see you." I said smiling softly.

"Well, aren't you getting big?" Haymitch said, his tone noticeably softer. "I swear, when I saw you last week, you were at least three inches shorter." He chuckled, leaning down so that Levy could hug him. When he pulls away, his face is serious. The lines in his face seem much deeper than when we saw him last week, and his gray eyes are stormy with worry. "Katniss, Peeta…there's something you need to see."

My stomach drops to my feet. What could possibly be going on? That is causing Haymitch to act so serious and…_scared?_"

"Kids, why don't you go find Daisy. She's probably lurking around upstairs in my room." Haymitch sends the kids off to play with his cat, as he leads Peet and Me into the family room where I can see that his TV is switched on to the news.

"Watch and listen." He instructs, and turns the volume up on the television.

_"That's right, Glavius, the President thinks that Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark haven't been punished enough. The rebellion was awful; full of spilled blood, and they got away with it. They ended the Hunger Games, and while the Districts are feeling very thankful for that, the President is very angry about it._

_ "I say, Moorius, they should go through with another round of the Games, but this time, the Capitol children will compete, and Katniss Everdeen-"_

_ "Mellark,"_

_ "Katniss Mellark, excuse me, and Peeta Mellark's children will be reaped into the Games when they become old enough as well."_

My eyes widen, and I can feel every breath wiped out of my body. I feel like I'm going to faint and my throat feels so tight, it's like I'm suffocating. My heart is racing, and my vision is so blurry, I can barely focus my eyes on the screen

_"Aren't there some new rules, Glavius?"_

_ "Yes there are, Moorius! When the youngest Mellark child turns fourteen, that being the new minimum age for reaping, both of them will be thrown into the reaping, which I heard will be rigged so that at least one of them has to be chosen."_

_ "Oh my! I think that this news has all of Panem on the edge of their seats, but stay tuned to learn about a new breed of dog that scientists have created."_

The screen turned black as Haymitch clicked the TV off. When my eyes were no longer staring at the two men announcing the news, I felt my legs give out. Peeta caught me before I fell, but I was already sobbing, my body shaking so hard, that he struggled to pull me up. He ended up just sitting on the floor with me pulled into his lap.

I couldn't believe this. We had fought so hard for this to be over. So that our children, and nobody else in Panem would have to participate in the Games anymore. All of the pain, the heartache, and the blood was for nothing. Finnick died for nothing. Prim…Prim died for nothing…

"F-Fuck the Capitol!" I screamed angrily. Even though my voice came out broken because of my sobbing, the venom in my words was still sharp and poisonous. "F-Fuck the goddamned President!" I cried harder, pressing into Peeta's chest, wanting so much to die. I couldn't protect my children. I had failed as a mother. What I had been dreading most had come true. My biggest, worst nightmare was living and breathing.

"Mommy, why were you crying today, at Grandpa Mitchy's house?" Levy asked me, later that night when I was tucking her into bed. Peeta was tucking Asher in, but he was already asleep, so we had to be very quiet. We had both agreed not to tell the children about the Games until a little bit later…but everybody know that I can't lie to save my life.

"You know about the Hunger Games, you learned about it in class, right?" I asked, sniffling a bit.

Levia raised herself up on one elbow, her long dark hair draping over her arm, and behind her back. "Yeah, why?" There was a hint of concern in her voice, and my heart clenched at the news I was about to tell her.

"The President wants you and your brother to go be in the Hunger Games…" I said, trying to not cry. I could see the tears already forming in her eyes, but before they could spill, I said in the most comforting voice I could muster, "I will not let anybody hurt you, Levia. Don't you cry, I forbid you to cry. I forbid you to tell your brother about this, and do not talk to anybody about this. I want you to stay as strong as possible. Can you do that for me? Can you be the strong little girl that I know you are?" Without trying, my voice gets harder as I continue to speak.

Levia blinks rapidly, and sniffles, but I see no tears coming down her cheeks. "Y-yes, Mama." She stutters.

I caress her face gently, and kiss her forehead. "I love you so much, Levia. And I promise you, that I will see you walk down the aisle someday to marry the man of your dreams, and I promise that your brother will be there as well. I will not let anybody hurt you; I will always be there with you, protecting y-uou." I couldn't help it. My voice broke on the last word in the sentence, and without saying another word, I walked out of Levia's room, and shut the door behind me.

I held my hand over my mouth to silence the horrible sobs escaping my body. I felt arms wrap around me, and as I leaned into the Peeta's chest, I hear Levy sining:

_Single file_

_Down the aisle_

_You're the reason that they made_

_This rule_

_To protect us_

_From that smile_

_This pain is anything but mild_

_'Cus we're all not as strong_

_As we pretend_

_We are living_

_To be broken in half_

_Don't try to laugh_

_'Cus our suppression only leads _

_To depression_

_Yeah you're playing _

_With a child's heart_

_With a child's heat_

_You mold me like I'm_

_Just your work of art_

_What a great head start_

_You stole from a child's heart…  
_

**_Thank you for reading this oneshot! I'm sorry if it started to get sloppy as it went along, I didn't write this all together, so I was in different moods and stuff, and towards the end, I was just really, really tired. _**

**_I'm going to do an actual story as a sequel to this, but I don't know when I'll be posting it!_**

**_So stayed tuned, because you might see it soon! (ooooh! That rhymed! – I'm such a loserJ)_**

**_Xoxo,_**

**_Cass_**

_*ps, _

_I didn't write the song! It's called 'Child's Heart' by Shannon Nicole!_


End file.
